Faded Memories
by CuteMochi
Summary: During an unfortunate accident, Dawn loses some of her memory. To make things even worse, Ash is starting to use this as an oppurtunity for his own purposes. Paul is willing to do almost anything to get the Dawn he knew and loved back. Is there a way Paul can get himself and Dawn back to the way they once were?
1. Amnesia

"Hi! I'm Ash Ketchum! Nice to meet you!"

"_Pip-Pip-Lup!_"

"When two people meet, something is born,"

"See you later, Dee-Dee!"

"Have fun on your pokemon journey!"

* * *

_Dawn's Point of View_

"What... Where am I?" I asked, opening my sapphire blue eyes slowly.

"In the hospital," I heard a voice say.

Rubbing my eyes, I got a good look at the guy.

"Who are you?" I asked the strange boy.

"What? Are you serious? It's me, Paul!" he said, as if he somehow knew me.

"I don't...know you," I said to him.

"Of course you do! We were both trainers, remember? And I attended all your pokemon contests!" the purple-haired boy told me.

"Wait," I said, scratching my head. "How did I get here?"

"Our pokemon were being capured by this evil orginazation known as Team Galactic. All the pokemon were going to be injected with two liquids: The first being one that releases them from their pokeballs so that we can't send them back. The second being an amnesia-sort so that they don't remember us. However, when they were about to inject the amnesia-liquid into the pokemon, you intervened and the needle landed in _your_ skin instead. I took you here as soon as Team Galactic gave up, as Cyrus, their leader, pushed so much amnesia-liquid into your body by accident that he had barely enough left for one pokemon," Paul explained.

"So that's why I can't remember you," I said, looking down. I guess that's why I felt this way. Like something was missing. As if one piece of a 100-piece puzzle was gone.

"How long have I been here?" I asked the nurse.

"You've been passed out for a whole week," the nurse replied.

Then I saw a man in a pale mint-green scrub come in my hospital room. "Hiya. I'm the amnesia therapist," the guy said with a smile on his face.

"Hi! My name's Dawn and I'm from TwinLeaf Town," I replied.

"Well, Dawn, let's get started right away," the man said, taking out a clipboard and pen.

"So, what do you remember before you passed out?"

"I can't say. I remember meeting this boy with spiky black hair with a hat and an older one who had closed eyes all the time and spiky, uncovered brown hair," I said, trying to yank the memories out of my head.

"Uh huh," he said, quickly jotting this down on his clipboard.

"Anything else?"

"Well, I also remember traveling with them. I competed in pokemon contests and caught pokemon-" then I gasped. "My pokemon! Where are they?" I frantically asked, sitting up and looking around.

"Don't strain yourself!" the nurse said, gently pushing my head back down on the pillow.

"The pokemon are in a pokemon center across the street," the nurse said, opening the curtains.

"Moving on," the man in the green scrub said. "Do you remember this boy?" he asked me, gesturing to Paul.

"He's vaguely familiar, but I don't remember what he was like or which pokemon he had. I ran across him one or two times, but that's about all I remember," I told them.

Paul hung his head, depressed I didn't remember him. Seeing the sad look on his face, I smiled at him. "Hey, no need to worry! Everything's gonna be alright as soon as I get my memory back!"

But instead of smiling as I had expected, the nurse and the amnesia specialist just stayed quiet and grimaced.

"What's wrong?" I asked them.

"We're not completely sure if... it's possible to regain your memory," the amnesia specialist told her. The nurse nodded.

"You have guests," a nurse said, popping her head in the door.

"Very well. Come in," the other nurse said.


	2. Bruised Emotions

Author's Note: Ok, so I know Paul will be OOC in the rest of my story so yeah... Honestly though, I do think he should stop being so cold and arrogant. And that he should start going out with Dawn. Anyways, if you want more IkariShipping then check out another one of my stories, Pokemon:Three Weddings. Please leave a positive review and maybe suggestions. Thanks.

* * *

_Paul's Point of View_

"Hi Ash! Hi Brock!" Dawn said, waving to her friends. _Hmph. Friends_. I was her _boy_friend. Yet it was so agitating how she couldn't remember him. _*sigh* _And they had just started going steady.

"Hey Paul! Nice to see you!" Ash said to him.

"Hi," I responded casually.

Dawn smiled at us, which made me feel slightly better.

"I heard what happened," Ash said, turning to face Dawn.

"Yeah," Dawn said, looking down.

"So you two know each other?" Dawn asked me.

"Guess so," I told her.

"Wow, he's cold," I heard Dawn whisper to Ash. I felt my hand clench into a tight fist in my pocket. Even though it was true, it still stung me inside. But I was good at keeping my emotions hidden from others most of the time. Is that why Dawn never opened up to me as warm as I imagined either? I mean well, yeah, she's my girlfriend, of course she's gonna be nice to me, but there was something in Dawn's words around Ash that made me... err.. how to say this... envy him.

Not like she was talking all lovey-dovey to him or anything, but the way she talked seemed more natural, more kind. And most important of all, more loving. I just hate the thought of Ash and Dawn together. Ash is too much of a little kid for Dawn. But the way Dawn was smiling at him like she used to smile at me is sickening. It makes me wanna punch Ash for stealing her from me. But I knew better than that. Because I knew it wasn't Ash's fault.

-It was Team Galactic's. If I recall correctly, Jupiter had managed to parylze me by throwing a long needle with a medicine that made me fall to the ground. Mars stood by me with a grin on her face. I couldn't move. My body just wouldn't listen to me. All I could do was just scream Dawn's name. I watched in sheer horror as she jumped in front of her precious pokemon and she was injected with the liquid that would erase her memories of me. I remember Cyrus telling me that at least three months of Dawn's memory was erased. And with that, he just turned away and left with the rest of Team Gaylactic.

"Uh, Paul, you OK?" I heard Ash ask me all of a sudden.

"What?" I said in confusion.

I realized in embarrassment that my body was facing the window, which all there was to see was a street with the pokemon center on the other side.

"Um.. Just taking a look outside," I tried to say.

"For ten minutes?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ten minutes?" I asked again.

Dawn giggled in a girly manner and covered her mouth.

"You know what? It's getting late," I said, picking up my bag. "I'm gonna turn in."

"Good night, Paul!" Dawn said.

"Night," I said in reply.

_Later that day..._

I got in bed after brushing my teeth and everything. I tossed and turned, thinking about Dawn. All I wanted was for everything to go back to normal. Normal meaning Ash never came into the picture. The only thing I find useful about Ash is that he's at least a good rival and he helped me meet the girl I thought I was meant for. But now he's acting like that all never happened just because Dawn lost her memory. The jerk. I sighed and eventually dozed off, hoping that when I woke up, I would realize this was all just a horrible nightmare.

* * *

Author's Note: Yeah, I know it took a while, don't kill me! But I'm not allowed to use my iPad after school normally (my main fanfiction writing tool), so the time I have to write my stories is really limited. Plus, Saturday I'm usually free, but do you honestly think I'm a master touch-screen typer? 0_0 Anyways, hope you enjoyed, leave a positive review and follow please! ^_^


	3. Dirty Lies

Author's Note: Finally! It's Friday (NO REBECCA BLACK)! And I get to finally get to work on my fanfiction more! XD I'll probably upload like two or maybe even three chapters during the weekend. BTW, when Ash says something about the girls, it doesn't mean I think about them that way. To me, they're all great. Proceed with the story. :)

* * *

_Flashback From Chapter 2_

_Ash's Point of View_

"This is my chance!" I thought to myself in my head.

Sure, I had traveled with two other girls before. Misty, first of all, is way too bossy to be my girlfriend. She always yells at me and acts like she's better than me. But, she is really good with pokemon. And she loves and cares for them like their her children. And she let me steal,uh-*cough* _borrow_ (and fry with a lightning bolt) her bike. But those are the only pros. Everything else, well, not so pleasant.

Second, there's May. She's totally out of the picture, though, since she's dating Drew and all. But if I had to choose between May and Misty, I would probably choose May. Why? Well, that's because the only bad thing about May is she only gets mad at you when you take her food or cheat against her in a contest or battle. And she's pretty nice,too. And pretty. Not that I'm saying Misty's ugly or anything.

Although Misty and May are both really great, Dawn's the one I want. Because she's nice, and doesn't easily get mad at me. Not as easily as Misty and May, I mean. Plus, her Buneary really likes my Pikachu. And Dawn's prettier than both of them. Misty's too tomboyish, and May's hair is too weird. But Dawn is my definition of perfect. She cooks really good poffins, too. Almost, but not quite as good as Brock's.

It really upset me when I learned Dawn had started dating my rival, Paul. I wanted to take Paul and wring his neck like a wet beach towel. But that would make Dawn hate me, which I did not want to happen. So I secretly pretended to feel happy for them. I was even willing to lie to Dawn and say that I was dating Misty. After three months, I was almost ready to give up on the fact I could date Dawn. I even considered really dating Misty. For real.

Heading to the hospital, I knew this was my only chance to get us together. And I couldn't fail. I couldn't risk it. I headed to Dawn's hospital room as soon as I possibly could. To make things even better, Brock was there, too, to make it seem like we came her together. Dawn still remembered me, which was definitely a good thing. For me, at least. And the best thing about this whole situation was that Dawn didn't remember Paul. And she was talking to me more than she usually would to Paul. In fact, Dawn wouldn't even talk to Paul unless spoken to by him. I tried to hide it as best as I could, but I wanted to get all up in Paul's face and say, "U mad Bro? U MAD?!" But, again, I didn't want Dawn to hate me.

I smiled to myself when Paul's back was turned as he left to go to bed. Brock left and said he would come back later. Finally. We were alone at last. Without Paul there to give me dirty looks and Brock butting in and giving me advice on how to impress a girl, I could relax. The nurse and amnesia therapist were gone, too. Dawn and I talked for about an hour or so. The exact conversation goes as below:

"Dawn?" I asked her.

"Yes, Ash?" She replied.

"Well, there's kinda something I wanted to tell you," I told her.

"About what?" she asked me.

"It's about our-your I mean, past," I began to say.

"Please tell me! I want to get as much memory as I can back!" Dawn said, eager to hear the news.

_My plan is going perfectly!_ I thought to myself.

I sighed, trying to make it seem like I was reluctant.

"What's wrong?" Dawn said.

"Do you really want to know?" I said, looking at her.

"Quit stalling!" she scolded me. But then she looked sorry as her gaze softened as she said calmly, "Yes, I do really want to know. Please, Ash."

"Alright then, here it is," I said, taking a huge breath. "You and I were together. Like, dating together," I lied to her.

She gapsed in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

I was actually surprised myself when her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. "Um... Well, I don't remember that," she stammered. Hey, at least she didn't get mad at me. Or vomit all over her hospital room bed.

"I'm not surprised. I actually guessed you would say that," I said, trying my best to sound disappointed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ash," Dawn said, looking at me as if I had just told her Team Rocket took Pikachu.

"It's alright," I told her, giving her a little smile. I hoped it looked more like a pleasant, "Everything's gonna be OK," smile, rather than a "I just stole you from Paul!" smile.

"Excuse me," I heard a voice from outside the door say. "But visitors must leave at this time." I realized it was the nurse.

"Well," I sighed, getting out of the chair next to Dawn's bed. "See you tomorrow, Dawn."

"Good night, Ash!" Dawn told me.

"Good night, Dawn," I said, heading for the door.

* * *

So that's how my day ended. I gave Dawn a little piece of "memory" that she could think about overnight. Would she at last realize we were meant for each other? I hope so. I just want Paul to stay out of this. My whole world was perfect when it was just me, Dawn, and Brock (Even though to me, Brock served as our human version of a map and our 5-Star chef). Paul's just a rival to me. Another one. I've had tons of rivals before, and Paul is just one out of the dozens of trainers I'd battled. Sure, he's exceptionally strong, but he wouldn't stand so much as a chance against Gary.

It was around 11:00 now. I dragged myself to the sink and took my contacts off. Yes, I have contact lenses. I hate my glasses. HATE. They're so big and nerdy, like Max's glasses. Even though I was walking blind, I didn't dare put on those despicable glasses. As I laid my head down on the soft pillow, I slowly drifted off into sleep. I could only imagine how great tomorrow would go.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I realized it was about time I wrote a long chapter. So here you have it. Hope you had fun reading this, please leave a review and keep watching for upcoming chapters! Thanks.


	4. Broken Bonds

_Paul's Point of View_

"8:00 AM" my clock read. "Shoot!" I yelled so loud I thought people downstairs could hear me. Ignoring that embarassed feeling, I quickly got dressed, brushed my teeth, and headed for Dawn's hospital room.

"Hey Dawn," I said, walking into her room.

Much to my dismay (I mean HORROR), I saw Ash sitting next to her bed, deep in conversation with her. They both looked at me as I shut the door.

"What's up, Paul?" Ash asked me.

"Nothing much," I said.

"Good morning, Paul!" Dawn cheerfully told me.

"Good morning," I replied, sitting down on a nearby chair.

"So, Dawn, as you were saying?" Ash said, turning to face Dawn again.

If I were in a cartoon you would probably see steam marks coming off my head right now, like there was something cooking on top of my hair. I wanted to yell at Ash, "OH, WELL EXCUSE ME, BUT DIDN'T YOU NOTICE I WAS HERE, DUMBBUTT!"

But instead, I calmly gave him a death stare. Dawn continued to talk to him as well.

I couldn't just sit there and let them chat.

"Dawn?" I asked. She barely seemed to notice.

"Dawn?" I tried again. Nothing.

"Dawn!?" I said, raising my voice a bit louder. THAT finally got her attention.

"What is it, Paul?" she asked me.

"Well, I need to talk to you," I said to her, then glancing to Ash. "In private."

Dawn smiled at Ash warmly. "It'll only be a few minutes, 'kay?"

"If you say so, Dawn," Ash agreed, standing up from his chair. But as he turned around, he shot me a sharp gaze. His eyes seemed to be sending me a message: "Stay away from her." But it only lasted for about half a second. He turned to leave, leaving me and Dawn alone.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Dawn asked me.

"Well..." I began to say. "It's a bit complicated."

_Dawn's Point of View_

At first I was rather puzzled. I recognized this conversation.

"In what way?" I asked Paul.

"First of all, there's one thing you need to know about," Paul started.

"And what is that?"

Paul sighed.

"You need to know that..." Paul steadily said. "You and I were together. Like, dating together."

What? I thought Ash was the one I was dating!

I was severely confused, and I made no attempt to hide it whatsoever.

"What? That can't be! I thought I was dating Ash before I lost my memory! I exclaimed.

"Where in the world did you get that idea?" Paul said, shocked. He obviously didn't know what I was talking about.

"Ash," I began to stutter. Then suddenly it felt like someone had run needles in every inch of my brain.

I yelled out in pain, clutching my head. I saw images of my past. First I saw my mom, Joanna, handing me her first ribbon. Then I saw Ash shocking my pink bike with a lightning bolt, courtesy of Pikachu. I saw myself competing in a pokemon contest and winning a ribbon. But the last and most surprising one was one of me and Paul sitting on a park bench together and talking.

I could hear Paul calling for a nurse. The nurse picked up the emergency extension on the phone and I could hear her calling for mental and medical treatment with a worried air in her voice. I eventually blacked out, hearing Ash and Paul yelling over something. Probably me.

_Later that day..._

I woke up again. In yet another hospital room. This one was more like the ones depicted in children's books. Paintings of vases filled with colorful assortments of flowers. Medical charts and x-rays on one side of the door. That kind of stuff.

"Where am I?" I asked the nurse. She was young, about Brock's age. She had long waist-length pink hair. She set down the tray she was holding and smiled.

"Oh, hi there! This is the amnesia therapy hospital. It's on the opposite side of the city of your old hospital," the nurse replied.

"Did you see two boys?" I asked her.

"Yes, do you know what they looked like?" she asked me.

"One of them has spiky black hair with a cap, and the other had purple hair and a blue jacket," I told her.

"Those were the two I saw, then," the nurse said happily.

Then I heard yelling and heavy footsteps coming towards my room.

The door loudly opened and slammed the wall next to it, leaving a small cluster of cracks in the white paint of the walls.

"Hey! You two are gonna have to pay for that!" the nurse yelled at them.

Ash and Paul were fighting over a bouqet of flowers, which had saffron daffodils, lilies, roses, and other beautiful little blossoms.

"I paid for it!" Paul yelled at Ash.

"Well that's too bad, 'cause I'M the one who's gonna give them to Dawn!" Ash smugly replied.

The once-pretty flowers' petals were scattered all over the floor now. Ash and Paul were exchanging insulting words, with the bouqet of flowers clenched in both of their fists. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it right now, you two!" I scolded them in a loud voice.

Instantly they both dropped the bouqet of flowers and looked at me.

"I'm sorry," they both said in unison. But then, seeing that they both said sorry at the same time, they started arguing again.

"Hey! I was sorry first!" Ash yelled.

"No, I was sorry eons before you were!" Paul yelled back.

They started an arguement once again, which made the nurse's face turn as red as a spicy Cheri Berry.

"THAT'S IT!" the nurse yelled, stomping forward.

"If you little rascals don't start behaving, YOU'RE the ones who're gonna end up in a hospital bed!" she said, cracking her knuckles.

"Y-Yes ma'am," they said again.

"Good!" the nurse said, smiling as if nothing had just happened. "Now, grab the broom sand start cleaning up!" she said, pointing to two brooms and a dusting pan in the corner.

"Do we HAVE to?" Ash complained.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" she said, her smile instantly fading.

Ash, terrified, dashed to the corner and went right to work. Paul started cleaning up, too, right behind him.

Then, the door opened again. Brock stepped in the room, saying, "Wow, that was some yelling I heard outside!"

"Sorry about that," she sheepishly said, blushing.

"My name's Brock, from Pewter City," Brock said, holding his hand out.

"My name's Julia, daughter of the Nurse Joy in this city," Julia replied, taking his hand.

Like it were a natural reflex, Brock got on one knee and said, "Julia, you are one of he fairest maidens I have eve-" but before Brock could say anymCroagunk came out of his pokeball and immediately jabbed Brock, dragging him away as usual.

Paul went to get me some more flowers. Ash went to get me something else. I waited patiently and asked the nurse for some food.

_Ash's Point of View_

I headed out of the hospital to get Dawn a really nice get-well present. I knew what would do the trick. And I saw it on the way here.

I ran to a chocolate store nearby. Not to be selfish, but I wanted to buy something that was cheap and small. Scanning the different assortments of chocolate, I finally found a small one that held only three chocolates. Perfect. And it had a vine of light pink Mago Berry blossoms tied around it, which I figured Dawn would think pretty.

Carefully walking back to the hospital, I thought of my plan once again. Things were going a little bumpier then I had expected, now that Paul was getting in the way. Why couldn't he just back off and realize Dawn doesn't like him anymore? In the way she likes me, at least. It ticked me off that Paul still thought Dawn was still his girlfriend.

As I approached Dawn's hospital room, I straightened my cap to make it look neater. And then I walked in.

Paul wasn't there. Yes!

"Hey, Dawn, I got this for you," I said, holding out the box.

"Awww, that's so sweet, Ash!" Dawn said.

But before Dawn could take the little box from me, Paul walked in.

"Hi Dawn, I got you some more flowers," he said, holding up the bouqet.

"Thanks so much, Paul!" she said.

"Could you please put those in that vase?" Dawn asked the nurse. The nurse nodded and got the flowers from Paul.

Dawn then smiled at me and took the box of chocolates. At first she looked delighted as she untwined the Mago Berry vine. But instead of looking pleased, Dawn looked frightened. Why was that? It was just chocolate. She then surprised me when she screamed and dropped the chocolates.

"What's wrong with you, Ash?" Dawn demanded.

"What? It's just chocolate," I told her.

"No! It's not that! I'm allergic to Mago Berries!" she exclaimed. "Severely! I thought you knew that! I'd been traveling with you for what-a year?"

I watched in sheer horror as Dawn's wrists turned red, and small pimples started forming on them. I got the box of chocolates away from her. But it was too late.

The redness started spreading and spreading until she looked like she had just gotten a really bad sunburn on every inch of her skin. The nurse dashed out of the room like her heels were on fire to get help.

I immediately backed out of the room. She must really hate me now. But everything was going so well. And I couldn't just let things slip back to the way they were.

After Dawn had received immediate treatment

"I'm really sorry, Dawn," I told her.

"It's.. It's ok," she said.

Paul just sat on the other side of her bed silently.

"I got you this," I said, holding out a bottle of lotion for skin irratation.

Dawn looked like she wanted to take it, but instead she just looked down.

"Sorry, Ash, but I don't know," Dawn said, looking away.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to step out for today," Julia said.

As I walked out the door, I wondered if Paul had set me up, not telling me Dawn was allergic to Mago Berries. But, then again, if he had known, he might've told me so Dawn wouldn't get hurt. Paul just confuses me sometimes.

_Third Person Point of View_

As soon as Ash and Paul stepped out of the hospital, Paul turned to face Ash.

"What are you playing at?" Paul demanded.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

Author's Note: C'mon, the weekend's over already? Sorry guys, but I probably won't be posting until Friday. I love cliffhangers, though. Keep watching out for more chapters! Thanks. -M


	5. Redundant Love

_Continued from Chapter 4_

"What do you mean?" Ash said, apparently puzzled. "It was an accident, okay? How was I supposed to know she was allergic to Mago Berries?"

"Well, that of course was an accident. But what I'm talking about is lying to Dawn," Paul impatiently said.

"Lying? What lies?" Ash said.

"You know what I mean," Paul demanded.

Ash was feeling really hot in the face now. Paul was catching on to his plan!

Regaining his confidence, he calmly said, " I have no idea what you're talking about."

Suddenly Paul grabbed Ash by the shirt and dragged him into a nearby alley. A Trubbish nearby shyly scampered away deeper into the darkness.

"Okay, Ash, I know these answers of yours are all just little lies," Paul coldly told him.

Ash smirked. "Okay, okay, you got me," he said, holding his hands up.

Paul felt confused. He thought Ash, being the little kid he was, would keep lying to preserve his secret, whatever it was. But he admitted it? No way!

"I lied to Dawn and told her we were dating," Ash smugly said. "And she totally bought it."

"Why would you do that? You said you were happy for us!" Paul began to raise his voice. "Not that I completely believed you."

"Well I lied, again!" Ash told him. "And I never even started dating Misty."

"Why you little..!" Paul said, stomping towards Ash.

Paul punched Ash in the face, leaving a swollen bruise on his cheek. Ash fell on the ground, his hand on his dark purple cheek. "Aww, Eevee crap, that hurt!"

"Hey! You there!" a female voice boomed from the mouth of the alley. It was none other than Officer Jenny. She hopped off her motorcycle and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"No picking fights allowed in this city," she said, shackling Paul.

"Wait! I can explain-" Paul started to stammer.

"You can explain yourself after we take a little cruise down to the police station," she said, escorting him to the motorcycle. After securing Paul on the back seat, she approached Ash, who was still on the ground in pain.

"Are you okay, young man?" Officer Jenny asked Ash, helping him get up.

"I'm.. ow! Spendid," Ash muttered.

"I'll take you inside so the nurses can tend to that bruise," she said, leading him to the hospital.

Paul looked on with an angry look on his face. Looking behind him, Ash smirked again and smiled at the handcuffed-Paul. His wish finally came true. That Paul was out of the picture.

_At the police station_

"Well, young sir, I believe you will need to spend the night here," Officer Jenny said, pushing him towards a cell. Pokemon trainers with depressed looks on their faces barely even took the time to catch the slightest glimpse of Paul. Sulking and staring at the wall seemed to be much more interesting to them. As he passed the "Week" Area, Trainers with piercings in weird spots and tattoos were scattered here and there. Paul's first thought was, "You can't lock me up in this place with these weirdos!"

The cell was fairly standard. An old rusty metal bed with a small pillow (like the kind you'd find on a couch) with an old linty yarn blanket hanging over it was pushed in the corner. There were no window or anything. The floor wasn't carpeted or anything, just cement. A small cup (kind of like the Dixie brand) filled with water was sitting on a metal table in another corner, a bottle of water next to it. Tiny silk webs were weaved in between the bottom of the table and the cold cement floor.

"Home sweet home for the night," Officer Jenny said, unshackling Paul. Paul wandered into the room like a baby in its crib. He just took his sweater off and hung it on the coat rack. Officer Jenny quickly shut the heavy door.

"What a drag," Paul thought, pulling the blanket over him. Ash was the jerk here, and he was the one who got punished for it. Ash just infuriated him so much. Paul felt like destroying something and pretending it was Ash's hideous face. Paul eventually dozed off, hoping that when he woke up he could talk to Dawn.

_After Paul's release from prison_

As Paul walked to the hospital, he couldn't help wondering how Dawn would feel when she heard about Ash's deception.

Walking into Dawn's hospital room, he saw Dawn standing up, in her normal clothes. Ash was sitting in a chair nearby, with a big piece of square gauze on a huge lump on his cheek.

Much to Paul's surprise, she walked up to him and slapped him across the face. Paul was in shock. What did he do to make her feel this way?

"Paul! You liar!" Dawn yelled out.

"What? I never lied to you!" Paul protested.

"Yes you did! Ash told me everything! About how you lied to me that we were dating! And that you took the chance that I had lost my memory to usurp Ash as my boyfriend!" Dawn vented out rather loudly.

"No! You've got it all wrong! ASH is the one who-"

"Stop it, Paul! I'm sick of hearing you lie like this. I can't take it anymore!"

Suddenly Ash stood up and crossed his arms. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Paul. Now Dawn is confused. You owe her an apology," he said, putting his arm around Dawn, who was now sobbing.

"Actually," Julia said, stepping in from the other side of the room. "I think YOU'RE the one who owes Dawn here an apology." Brock stepped out from behind her with a grim look on his face.

"Huh? What for? If anything, Paul's the one who-" Ash said, tearing his arm away from Dawn.

"PAUL didn't do ANYTHING wrong!" Brock interrupted.

"Oh yeah? What's this?" Ash retorted, pointing to the bruise on his left cheek.

"You deserved that," Paul sassily remarked.

"I agree," Julia said.

"I.. I don't understand! Ash said Paul was..." Dawn's voice trailed off.

"Remember when you had your amnesia therapy last night after Ash and Paul left?" Julia asked Dawn.

"Yeah."

"Well, the amnesia therapist was able to find some limited information during your test last night."

"Like what?"

"It was a memory you really cherished. It was-"

"Don't listen to her, Dawn! Don't listen to any of them or what they're saying! They're trying to feed you lies!" Ash interrupted.

"Excuse me, WHO'S trying to feed her lies?" Brock scolded.

"Y-You!" Ash accused his old friend.

Julia walked over to the phone and dialed the police extension as Ash's coal-black eyes widened in surprise.

"Excuse me, we have a misbehaving, lying visitor. Could you please escort him out?" Julia said.

"Right away," Officer Jenny replied.

In a matter of two minutes, Ash was about to be escorted out of the room.

"No! Ash didn't do anything wrong! He-" Dawn uttered.

Paul put his hand on Dawn's shoulder.

"Paul!" Dawn exclaimed, slapping his hand off.

Dawn started to run towards Ash, but Julia and Brock held her back. Dawn struggled as she tried to break free, but it was no use. All she could do was just watch Ash being dragged away in cuffs.

A wet tear dripped down her face.

She then used all the strength she possibly had to break free of Brock and Julia's hands.

Brock ran after her, and Julia ran to go get something in the corner.

Brock quickly caught up to her and held her still.

Dawn tried to break free, but Brock managed to managed to keep her contained.

Julia brought out a small needle and injected it in Dawn's pale skin.

Dawn blacked out, and her body went limp as she fell, Brock catching her beefore she hit the ground.

_Dawn's Point of View_

"Wha... What happened?" I asked as my eyes slowly opened.

I heard nothing.

Sitting up in my bed, I remembered what had happened.

Looking around, I saw no one at first. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Paul sleeping on a guest chair nearby. I had the sudden urge to wake him up and talk to him. "What is wrong with me?" I muttered to myself.

I was still pretty tired. I laid my head on my pillow and pulled the covers over me again.

Have you ever felt extremely tired, but the minute you got in bed you can't sleep? It was like that for me. After about ten minutes of staring at the ceiling and thinking about tomorrow, I finally fell asleep.

_The Next Morning..._

"Rise and shine, Dawn!" Julia said, opening the curtains. "Today is the day you get out of the hospital!"

"Really?" I asked her, as I sat up and rubbed my blue eyes.

"Yes. Umm.. Can I tell you something?" she asked me, suddenly a bit shy.

''Yes, what is it?" I told her.

"Today is also my first..." Julia began. "date with Brock."

"Really? That's amazing! I hope you have fun!" I told her, happy.

"Thank you," she smiled.

Suddenly I remembered something. "Wait, where's Paul?" I asked Julia.

"He went to get breakfast. He'll probably be back in about ten minutes or so," she told me.

I really hoped he came, so I could apologize to him.

"Oh, by the way, remember what I was about to tell you last night?" Julia asked me.

I thought about it. "Yeah."

"Well, the memory you cherished the most was meeting Paul. You didn't want to forget that moment. Even though your memory of Paul is blurred, you still remember meeting him, don't you?"

"I still remember it like it was yesterday."

I heard the door open as Paul walked in.

"Hi Dawn," he said.

"Hi Paul," I said, not as cheerful as usual.

"What's bothering you?" he asked me.

"Ash," I told him. "I can't believe he set me up like that."

"I'm really sorry for snapping at you like that, Paul," I softy apologized.

"It's alright. It's not your fault."

"How can you forgive me so easily?" I asked him, surprised.

"Like I told you, it's not your fault."

I got out of bed. I suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, Paul, wait outside until I change. I have an idea."

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know, Dawn momentarily goes mental. The next chapter will be interesting, a big plot twist will be revealed. If at least one or two reviews are left, the next chapter will be the longest yet. Promise. There will be at the very most three or four chapters more. Thanks for all the favorites and follows. -M


	6. Interrogation (Warning: Short Chapter!)

"I'm ready!" Dawn called out from behind the thick wooden door.

Stepping out of the room, Dawn wrapped her white scarf around her neck.

Paul walked side-by-side next to her as they headed to the police station.

That day it was chillier than usual. It was cold, like at the very beginning of winter, but with no snow.

"Man, is it cold out here!" Dawn exclaimed, rubbing her pale hands together.

"Do you want my gloves?" Paul asked her.

"Oh, but you might get cold!"

"No, it's fine," Paul insisted.

"Alright," Dawn said.

Putting his black gloves on, Dawn smiled.

"Thanks," she said, planting a small and light kiss on Paul's cheek.

Paul felt warm in the face.

"Y-You're welcome," he managed to say.

They continued walking to the police station.

As soon as they stepped through the front doors, a light breeze of heated air fanned their faces (don't you love when that happens?).

"Can I help you?" the lady at the desk said.

"Um, yes," Dawn began to say. "We need to talk to one of the prisoners."

"A brother? Sister?" the lady asked.

"Actually," Paul stammered.

"A..." Paul tried to find the right word. "Friend" was not an option.

"An acquaintance."

"A quick talk?" she asked again.

Dawn went to the other side of the desk and whispered in the lady's ear, "an interrogation with Officer Jenny."

"Hmm. I see," she said, tapping her ballpoint pen on her desk.

"That can be arranged. However, you two kids will have to wait until Officer Jenny returns to the station. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes," Paul and Dawn replied, nodding.

"You can wait there," the lady said, pointing her finger at some chairs leaning against a far wall.

Paul and Dawn both sat down on the chairs.

Paul fidgeted with his poketch, while Dawn picked up a magazine sitting on a table nearby.

After about ten minutes, Paul texting Reggie, and Dawn still reading her magazine, the door of the station opened.

"Oh, hi," Officer Jenny said, stepping in.

"They're here for an interrogation," the lady at the counter said.

"Alright. Let's get started," Officer Jenny said, starting down the hallway.

Paul and Dawn followed her, different thoughts circling in their minds. Some angry, some determined, and a tiny sliver of sadness.

"We're here," Officer Jenny said, opening the door of a cell.

An old face glanced at them passively.

"It's about time. Now where's breakfast?" Ash demanded.

"You're not getting breakfast. Instead, you're gonna get a nice serving of a hard interrogation," Paul smirked.

"C'mon, guys, what do I have to hide?" Ash 'innocently' asked.

"Why you played me like a chess piece," Paul said.

"Played? In what way?" Ash petulantly demanded.

"Well, before we get any arguments started, it's time for a proper interrogation," Officer Jenny said, pulling a chair from the corner. She also dragged the table along as well.

"Sit down," she commanded Ash.

He did as instructed obediently.

"Now, it's time to answer some questions."

"Whatever," Ash irritably huffed.

"You go first, young man," Officer Jenny said, gesturing to Paul.

Paul sat in the opposite chair, facing Ash.

"So, Ash? You got anything to say for yourself?"

"No. Because I have no idea what you want from me!"

"What I WANT is answers."

"Like what?"

"Like why you lied to Dawn and moved us around like chess pieces."

"I never did such a thing!" Ash stubbornly replied.

"Lie all you want, Ash, I'll keep going until you crack."

"Tell me this, Paul. Why would I want to lie to Dawn?"

"So that she'll be your girlfriend, like you wanted. You hinted like crazy that you obviously loved her."

"Dawn? I'm going out with Misty!"

"Again, you're lying."

"Dawn? Can I please have some backup here?" Ash asked.

Dawn, who was standing next to Officer Jenny, sighed deeply.

"Ash, I know you're lying. Please come clean to me."

Ash, who just a few seconds ago denying that he had done anything wrong, was in shock.

"What? How did you know? This wasn't how this was supposed to go! How can you remember that you and Paul were together?" Ash frantically said.

He had finally cracked.

"Did you really think you could just hide it from me?" Dawn demanded, suddenly irritated.

"Why can't you just feel happy for Paul and I? I feel so bad for Misty! You're like the boyfriend she never had! Heck, if I were her, the thought of us together wouldn't even cross my mind!"

Ash was frozen. He just sat there. Redness started to crawl from his neck to his face.

"So..you..." was all Ash managed to say.

"Ash, I love you like a brother. And it really hurts me that you would take advantage of what happened to me! Almost as much as that needle did!"

Ash, at this point was overwhelmed.

"I"m sorry, Ash. If you're gonna manipulate me and Paul like this, I can't even have you as a friend."

"Dawn! Wait!" Ash exclaimed.

"C'mon, Paul," Dawn said, turning towards the door.

Paul stood up and followed her.

"Wait! Dawn! Don't go!" Ash yelled out, standing up.

"Goodbye, Ash."

Officer Jenny followed the two and shut the heavy door, making a loud THUD.

Ash fell on his bed.

A wet tear fell down his face and hit the bed.

"Dawn..." he murmured.

His dreams of finally getting the dream girl was gone. No chance at all.

But then, in the midst of his sadness and depression, something sparked in him.

If Dawn wanted to be with Paul, he would just have to respect that.

After all, he just wanted her to be happy.

But if he couldn't have Dawn as a girlfriend, then there must be someone out there that needed him.

"I think it's time I contacted an old friend..." Ash thought to himself.

* * *

"Are you alright, Dawn?"

"Yes."

"I-It's just that.." Dawn began to say. "I feel bad. Ash was the one who traveled with me through Sinnoh. I feel like I used him."

"I know. But Dawn, if he wants YOU to be his girlfriend, and he's willing to lie and cheat about it, do you still really wanna stick around him?"

"Well, no," Dawn said.

"Dawn, if you don't want to be with me, that's alright," Paul softly said.

"No! I really do want to be with you!" Dawn insisted.

"I know what'll get you back to your normal self," Paul said.

"What?"

"Well, I know this might seem a little odd," Paul said. "But I heard about this carnival that's going to be set up outside of town."

"Oh! That sounds great!" Dawn said. "Let's go tonight!"

"Sure."

"Paul, can you please come with me to the hospital to get my stuff?"

"Of course."

Dawn smiled as they held hands and walked towards the hospital.

* * *

"Dammit!" Ash said.

Right after being released from prison, Ash stood at a payphone.

He couldn't muster the courage to apologize to Dawn. Or Paul.

What luck. When he actually wants to talk to her, the payphone he's at eats his two quarters.

Sitting on a bench nearby, Ash sighed.

Looking around, he saw a colorful flyer on the other side of the street.

Upon closer inspection, it actually turns out to be advertisment for a PokeCarnival.

"A PokeCarnival? I remember going to one of those with Jirachi," Ash thought.

"Why not?" Ash continued to think. "I need to clear my mind before I talk to Dawn again."

Glancing at the poster again, he looked at the Mime Jr. that was balancing on the beach ball. Above it was a cute little Buneary on the tight rope. But remembering Dawn had a Buneary, he looked away.

Ash made his way to the Pokemon Center, where his pokemon waited for him.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, I know, this was a very short chapter. However, there will be two or maybe three chapters more. And the next chapter will be at least 2,000 words long, give or take a few. Leave a review, follow, and favorite! Thanks. -M


	7. The End

Author's Note: This is it, my friends! The last chapter! Sorry for the late update, but I had actually finished this, but right before my finger hits the save button- Boom! My iPad dies! Yay! This story also has PokeShipping, note that ContestShipping is also mentioned. Now, without further delay, enjoy the last chapter of my IkariShipping story, Faded Memories.

* * *

_Later that night_

"Paul, look at it! It's so cuute!" Dawn said, pointing her finger out.

She was pointing to a little Azurill that was doing what seemed to be a gymnastics routine on the stage.

"Yeah," Paul said, barely examining the adorable little water mouse.

Dawn gasped and quickly grabbed Paul's arm to go look at something else.

There was a mini-pokemon contest going on for new ten-year old trainers.

Ten years old. Oh, how that brought back memories for Dawn.

The winner of the little contest would get a little bag full of sweets, which their pokemon could also eat.

"Aww, look Paul! He has a little Turtwig!" Dawn exclaimed at the little pokemon.

"Yeah, but it'll always be weak until it evolves into a Torterra," Paul replied.

"C'mon, Paul, cheer up!" Dawn said, grabbing his arm.

"Well, I guess loosening up a tiny bit won't hurt."

"Good! Now, it's time for some funnel cake!" Dawn said, dragging him towards the funnel cake stand.

_Ash at the Same Carnival_

"Excuse me," Ash said.

"Jerk!"

"Was that your foot?"

"What's your problem?"

"I'm terribly sorry,"

"I don't care!"

"One more seat!"

"You idiot!"

Ash finally made his way to the middle of the row his was supposed to sit in.

After navigating through an ocean of feet and waves of rather tormenting insults, Ash took his seat in the chair for the show.

He had gotten a last-minute ticket for a water show that was going to play. Ash had figured that it wouldn't hurt, just watching a show.

Despite the fact that the people around him were shooting him dirty looks, he managed to fix his eyes on the stage, of which's red curtains started to open.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Cerulean City's Sensational Sisters!"a familiar voice boomed as the curtains opened.

Behind them was an orange-haired teenager with a Staryu in front of her.

She was wearing a sleeveless dress that reached just above her knees, colored a light blue mint color with a little shimmer to it. Her orange hair was a bit longer now and she wore it down.

"Use Bubble Beam!" Misty called out.

Staryu jumped into the air and spun around slowly, using Bubble Beam.

The bubbles quickly popped into a shimmery mist that covered the audience and the stage.

Misty did a quick bow as Staryu returned to her and they darted offstage.

The Sensational Sisters, or Misty's sisters, did a beautiful water ballet show that was complimented by the water pokemon occasionally adding little surprises, such as a Seaking using aqua ring.

The girls did their bow once their routine was over, and received a well-deserved standing ovation. Ash quickly left once Misty started announcing the next showtimes at different cities. He raced to the back of the stage and saw Misty there, who had sat down with her Staryu and complimenting it on how great it did.

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"Misty?" he finally managed to mutter loud enough for her to hear.

Misty turned around and gasped.

"Ash? Is that you?"

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to be in Sinnoh," he said.

"Well, I'm just taking a little vacation. Nothing permanent."

"Oh, well," Ash stuttered, starting to redden up a bit."I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me before the carnival closes."

"I'd love to, Ash! Just let me change, and I'll be right back."

"'Kay."

After waiting for a few minutes, Misty came out wearing her normal outfit, with the yellow top, red suspenders, shorts, and her hair tied to the side again.

"Alright, so what do you want to do first?" Ash asked as they started walking.

"Hm? That's strange. Usually you'd want to do something first," Misty said, puzzled.

"I was just thinking that, you know, since you won't be here for a while, maybe you should just enjoy the carnival before you left."

"That's kind of you, Ash," Misty blushed.

"He seems... More grown up since when I last saw him," Misty thought to herself.

"So, anyways, what's up first?" Ash suddenly blurted out.

"Dart-Throwing at Drifloon Balloons!" Misty said, getting excited.

"Last one there's a stinky Trubbish!" Ash called out, starting to sprint.

"Hey! Get back here!" Misty yelled, following him.

* * *

"So you're saying May and Drew are together now?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, May told me. She says that they're getting along well," Misty replied.

A man handed them a small box of Dartz(TM PokeCarnival).

They were shaped like several flying-type pokemon, including Emolga, Starly, Zubat, and Pidgey.

"Thank you," they both said, reaching for the darts.

Ash grabbed one first and chucked it like it was a baseball.

"Ash! You're not supposed to throw it like-" Misty yelled in alarm.

It hit the board, far off the location of the balloons and sank in so much that when the man tried yanking it out, it turned out to have stabbed the wall behind the board.

"Um.. Oops?" Ash said, putting on a shy look.

"So I guess you haven't changed all that much," Misty said inside her head.

Finally, after Ash's dart had been removed, Misty picked up her dart.

Misty properly threw the dart the way it should be and hit a balloon on the outer rim of the target.

"Yes!" Misty said in triumph.

"Lucky shot," Ash said. "I can definitely do better!"

Ash picked up his dart and tried imitating Misty, but his dart sailed into the air high and just barely missed the area in between the center balloon.

"NO!" Ash said, stomping his sneaker on the ground. "That's no fair! It was so close!"

"It's my turn," Misty said, picking up another dart.

She threw it and the dart flew straight into the center of the bulls-eye balloon.

"Bulls-Eye!" she exclaimed.

Ash looked like he was about to cry (in a cute way) as the man handed Misty a small bag filled with pokemon treats.

"C'mon, Ash," she said, grabbing the back of his shirt and dragging him away.

Ash eventually got up and followed Misty to some more games.

"Hey, Ash," Misty said. "I was just wondering if you wanted to come home to Kanto for a while before you continue your journey."

"Well, I guess a little vacation won't hurt."

"Then you can stay in Kanto for a while?"

"I guess so."

"Well, let's see who can win the Magikarp in that game over there!" Misity said.

Ash happily ran towards her and decided not to worry about Dawn anymore, because he had found the perfect girl for him.

* * *

Popping a tuft of pink cotton candy into her mouth, Dawn watched the fireworks that lit up the sky like tiny lamps from her shared seat with Paul on the ferris wheel (like the kind where your legs are sticking out and you're not like in a gondola).

The sweet cotton candy melted in her mouth and left a sweet, pleasant taste.

"So, Dawn, I've been thinking about what Ash said and did today," Paul began to say. "He sounded like he had someone he was thinking about besides you that meant a lot to him."

"I'm pretty sure I know who she is. Don't worry, they'll get together eventually," Dawn said, placing the bag of sweet candy on her lap.

"So... You really don't remember?" Paul asked.

"Remember? Well, no," Dawn replied.

"I wonder what could possibly get my memory to snap back," she said.

"The finale you wanted to see is starting!" Paul said.

Dawn's attention flickered to the sky again as the fireworks exploded in different colors creating different images.

"Dawn," Paul said, catching her attention.

"Yes?"

Paul slowly leaned closer to her and placed a soft kiss on her lips, which Dawn returned.

"I.. I remember now! We would travel together, and feed Starly bread crumbs at the park! And then team Galactic-"

Paul hugged Dawn before she could say any more and kissed her cheek.

They both blushed as Dawn wrapped her arms around Paul's arm and leaned against his shoulder.

"I love you," Dawn said.

"I love you too," Paul replied warmly as they watched the fireworks in the sky burst and leave behind a glittery shimmer.


End file.
